After a tumultuous winter for airline travel, punctuated by tales of boarded passengers who were stuck on the tarmac for hours, United Airlines is changing its policies on ground delays.
United, the largest carrier at Denver International Airport, said it now aims to limit taxi-out delays on the ground before takeoff to three hours or less and limit taxi-in delays on the ground after landing to 90 minutes or less.
Any North American flights that have taxi-out delays longer than four hours, taxi-in delays longer than 90 minutes or on-ground diversion delays longer than four hours will be deemed by United as “flights of note.” Passengers on such “flights of note” will get a note of apology, a certificate for 20 percent off a United round-trip economy-class ticket and a $10 airport meal voucher.
“This is giving compensation where they historically have not,” said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association. But, he said, “we as passengers have to recognize there is no free lunch. We pay for these things at the end of the day, so if an airline is very forthcoming with money, it’s going to affect fares at the other end.”
The move comes amid an effort in Congress to enact an airline “passenger bill of rights” that would regulate airlines’ actions during ground delays, a move carriers have been trying to avoid and forestall. It also comes after JetBlue announced its own customer bill of rights in response to a February meltdown that left passengers stuck on the tarmac in New York for hours.
Frontier Airlines does not have such a policy, said spokesman Joe Hodas. He also said it is rare for Frontier to have lengthy ground delays.
“For those times when we don’t exceed the expectations of the passenger, we have systems and procedures in place to give the employees leeway to handle it,” Hodas said.
Airline passengers who expect a free ticket as compensation may be disappointed by airline responses.
“Passengers will vote with their wallets as to what they think is the best program,” Stemp ler said.
United said it has implemented its ground-hold and diversion policy “following several high-profile incidents of extreme travel delays in the industry – which sparked interest in a legislated Passenger Bill of Rights.”
United said 324 of its flights had taxi-out times longer than three hours in 2006. The airline told employees that fewer than 0.1 percent of flights experience extensive delays, but “just one of these events can result in a negative customer perception.”
“Stuck on a plane on the tarmac for hours on end before takeoff or after landing is something no one enjoys,” according to United in a message to employees. “How we handle our customers during operational challenges, such as extensive delays, can make or break our customers’ impression of their United experience.”
Staff writer Kelly Yamanouchi can be reached at 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com.
